Relationship between dioxin and steroid hormones in sera of Vietnamese men

Abstract

A recent study found an inverse correlation between serum TCDD levels and serum testosterone in the US veterans, while there is little known on the dioxin and steroid hormones about Vietnamese men. We collected blood samples from 48 men who had resided in a hotspot when exposure happened and 38 men in a non-sprayed area. Some steroid hormones levels showed significant differences between two areas. There were no correlations between steroid hormones and dioxin TEQ, after ajusting for age and other factors. Our findings indicate that steroid hormones of Vietnamese men did not correlate with dioxin TEQ in two areas.

• Dehyroepiandrosterone
• estradiol
• polychlorinated biphenyls
• polychlorinated dibenzofurans
• polychlorinateddibenzo-p-dioxins
• testosterone

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the participants and the local staff at Phu Cat and Kim Bang.